Chapter 234 – Information

The dungeon was now completely devoid of any eerie or terrifying atmosphere. Waves of gently swaying light filled every inch of the corridors and passageways like rippling water. However, aside from Princess Trelinka, everyone else remained composed, treating the strange spectacle before them as if it were invisible.

No, there was one exception—Punk, who stood outside Princess Trelinka’s cell.

Punk had followed the fireball for an entire afternoon and half the night. The fireball’s trajectory unfolded exactly as he had anticipated: it flew straight into Greenvine City without veering off course, then boldly entered Greentree Castle under the gaze of tens of thousands of impoverished city dwellers. It leisurely passed by the castle’s guards, servants, and even the old warrior Beigean before finally meandering into the dungeon.

During the fireball’s flight, Punk could distinctly feel the power of Mass Suggestion seeping into the souls of every creature that laid eyes on it. To avoid being affected by the spell, Punk had no choice but to trail the fireball from a distance, maintaining a “safe distance” where he could barely glimpse its light. Even so, he still felt his thoughts growing somewhat muddled, and he couldn’t help but marvel at the potent effects of Master-Level spells.

Once the fireball entered the castle, Punk was forced to follow more closely. Fortunately, he discovered that the Haitzita Soul Nurturing Waves solidified on the Haitzita Magic Box could effectively resist the influence of Mass Suggestion. This allowed Punk to confidently follow the fireball deep into Greenvine City.

Upon entering Greenvine City, Punk’s initial reaction was one of confusion. In his estimation, the Green Vine Family must have already received news of Sangus’s demise. If their scout team was particularly sharp, word of Kulun’s death might have reached them as well. After all, the lack of information flow in this world primarily affected the common folk; the Nobles utilized various magical communications that rivaled the speed of Earth’s internet in disseminating intelligence.

According to Punk’s expectations, the Green Vine Family’s response should have involved massing troops within the castle, setting up numerous defensive measures, and perhaps even hastily declaring a state of war across the entire Green Vine territory. However, the reality was quite surprising: Greenvine City maintained its daily routines as if nothing had happened, while Greentree Castle had been quietly emptied out.

It wasn’t until Punk followed the fireball into the dungeon and saw Princess Trelinka that he began to grasp the Green Vine Family’s intentions.

“It seems the Green Vine Family has already decided to abandon the sinking ship that is the ‘Glory Army.’ They didn’t even hesitate before imprisoning Princess Trelinka. This Family Head named Dolan truly possesses remarkable decisiveness,” Punk mused.

Squinting slightly, Punk crouched on a dungeon beam, watching from a distance as Princess Trelinka in her cell held the fireball, now shrunk dozens of times in size. He was rather taken aback by the Green Vine Family’s resolute and swift decision-making.As a spellcaster well-versed in the characteristics of the noble class, Punk fully understood how difficult it was to make a noble abandon their territory, let alone their title. In the Faerûn Plane, there was no shortage of nobles who would rather be torn to pieces than take a single step away from their land for the sake of so-called “family honor.”

However, Punk was only surprised by the actions of the Green Vine Family. His current focus was on Trelinka and the White Crystal Orb in her hands.

Based on the insights from his Divination Spell, Punk deduced that Trelinka was likely receiving an informational inheritance from the crystal orb. However, the shielding capability of a Master-level Magic Item was beyond Punk’s ability to penetrate, leaving him completely in the dark about what information Trelinka was obtaining from the orb.

“What a pity. If only Golem Two were here, I could have sent her to test the waters. But now… I’ll just have to wait and see a while longer!”

Punk was tempted to rush over and send this princess to meet Sangus with a single Kinetic Cone, believing she would then have plenty of time to ask Sangus what he had left for her. But… Punk dared not casually approach that peculiar glowing orb.

Although he wouldn’t be affected by the Mass Suggestion constantly emitted by the orb during the “Haitzita Soul Nurturing Fluctuation” effect, who knew what unknown measures a Master-Level Caster who had lived for over a thousand years might have left on their magic item before death? Countless “predecessors” who had recklessly seized spoils of war had rushed to verify a truth with their blood and lives—sometimes a dead enemy poses a greater threat than a living one!

While Punk remained tensely vigilant for any sign of danger, Trelinka was completely immersed in the information carried by the glowing orb:

“Trelinka, I have killed Kasparqi, the Master-Level Cleric of the Church of Dawn. The Church of Dawn, aligned with Good and Chaos, will never let this rest. The Kamos Kingdom bordering our Kingdom has ambitious ambitions and is watching us like a tiger eyeing its prey! King William, who ascended to the throne by killing all his brothers, is no easy opponent either!

My plans have utterly failed. The fall of the Dillon Kingdom is now inevitable—it cannot be reversed by one or two Formal-Level or even Master-Level powerhouses, let alone you and your 150,000-strong Glory Army.

I—’Earthsplitter’ Sangus—founded this nation with my own hands and have now led it into the Abyss with those same hands. All I can leave behind is this Alchemy Scroll I obtained by chance during my youthful adventures as my legacy…

My intuition tells me—never use this scroll, or an unstoppable terror will inevitably descend upon this land. In my youth, I resolved countless times to use it, only to be deterred by this intuition. In my old age, I decided to seal away this mysterious Alchemical Creation forever, as if it had never appeared in my life.

But at the moment of my death… I hesitated!”I was once a renowned genius mage, having explored dark dungeons, battled demons in the Abyss, and roamed the Lush Forest with just a magic wand, earning the formidable title of “Earthsplitter.” If not for my life nearing its end, if not for the suppressed internal injuries… how could a mere newly promoted Master-Level cleric like Kasparqi be my match… I refuse to accept this! I refuse to die like this—I must leave something behind, at least pass on this Scroll I never dared to open in my lifetime…

Now, the Scroll is yours. You can take the tens of thousands of Gold Coins from the storage space and disappear to live incognito elsewhere. The Crystal Ball can escort you away undetected…

Or you can open this Scroll… to face the indescribable “unknown.” I am already dead, gone forever. From this moment on… all your decisions… will be entirely your own will…”

The transmission of information quickly concluded, and the small sphere of light gradually dimmed until it no longer emitted any glow. Both Punk and Trelinka could clearly see a shocking crack on the sphere, slowly leaking pure white energy.

The cell returned to its profound darkness, the candle flame flickering calmly as if nothing had happened. Only a few drops of candle wax marked the passage of time…

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(End of Chapter)